Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 535

Chapter 535

Seden Price’s face, hidden beneath the hood of his robe, twisted unpleasantly.

‘Damn it!’

No one had stronger pride or greater self-esteem than Seden Price, yet when he stood before Jin Geum-ho, he shrank like a mouse before a cat.

This was not a problem unique to Seden Price.

Kim Hyun-soo, Xiao Lun, and even Serian all felt such immense pressure that it seemed as if their heartbeats were racing several times faster than usual.

Jin Geum-ho did not emit any special aura, nor did he make any separate display of force toward them. And yet, by the air and atmosphere he naturally exuded, the rulers of each district were overwhelmed.

That was the presence of the man called Jin Geum-ho.

An aura as powerful as Neo Seoul, the only mega city on Earth, was naturally flowing from his entire body.

Overwhelmed by it, the rulers of each district could not easily open their mouths. Thus, the silence dragged on.

Xiao Lun, who disliked this atmosphere, forcibly opened his mouth.

“So, for what reason did you hold an event like this? We have not yet been informed what kind of event this is.”

“I must apologize for that. If possible, I wanted to announce it in a place where everyone was gathered.”

“If it is some trivial event, I think I will be disappointed.”

“I guarantee you that such a thing will never happen, Xiao Lun!”

“I will look forward to it.”

“You may look forward to it as much as you like.”

“Hmph!”

Xiao Lun snorted, but Jin Geum-ho did not even pay him any mind.

Weak dogs were bound to bark.

In his eyes, Xiao Lun was nothing more than a frightened dog.

The same was true of Seden Price.

No matter how they boasted of being the absolute ruler of the East District or the Dark Magician, in essence they were no different from Xiao Lun.

They were people who could never have risen by their own power had Jin Geum-ho not created the foundation called Neo Seoul.

Only Kim Hyun-soo and Serian maintained a certain degree of composure.

Kim Hyun-soo, fused with machines, had extremely little emotional fluctuation, and Serian had lived longer than Jin Geum-ho, so he controlled his emotions with the power of experience. Even so, the fact that they too felt tremendous pressure from Jin Geum-ho did not change.

‘Come to think of it, Zeon is special, isn’t he?’

Jin Geum-ho’s gaze moved toward Zeon, who was seated at the very back of the hall.

He could see Zeon sitting with his arms folded.

He looked deeply absorbed in thought. Then, perhaps sensing Jin Geum-ho’s gaze, he raised his head and met it.

Their gazes met in midair.

Though the distance between them was far, both of them could clearly look into each other’s eyes.

In Zeon’s eyes as he looked back, there was not even the slightest trace of fear toward Jin Geum-ho.

In Neo Seoul, only Zeon looked at Jin Geum-ho at an equal eye level.

Just as Dyoden once had.

“Heh!”

A smile suddenly touched Jin Geum-ho’s lips.

Though it was not a smile directed at them, the rulers of each district felt a chilling sensation.

Jin Geum-ho withdrew his gaze from Zeon and stepped up to the podium placed on the stage.

Everyone’s eyes focused on him.

All those participating in the event held their breath, waiting only for Jin Geum-ho to open his mouth.

An intense sense of anticipation was heating up the hall.

Sensing that the heat had reached its peak, Jin Geum-ho opened his mouth.

“It has been a long time since I have stood before so many people. Have you all been well?”

“Waaaaah!”

In an instant, tremendous cheers and applause erupted from the hall.

It was a dramatic change that was hard to believe given how quiet it had been until now.

Jin Geum-ho raised his hand. As if by a lie, all the sounds filling the hall stopped.

“Good! It is good to see that you are all doing well like this. The reason I have gathered you all here today is because there is an important project that will stake the fate of Neo Seoul. I have been planning this project for decades and have devoted all my strength to carrying it out. That is why I could not appear before you.”

At Jin Geum-ho’s words, everyone’s anticipation rose even higher.

‘Something that has been carried out secretly for decades?’

‘As expected of the Mayor. Even if we do not see him, his devotion to Neo Seoul never changes.’

‘Whatever the Mayor’s project is, it will surely make Neo Seoul leap forward another step.’

The people’s faith in Jin Geum-ho was blind.

He was the one who rebuilt the city called Neo Seoul on ruins where there had been nothing. The charisma and leadership he had shown then were things no one else could dare to approach.

Those who had witnessed his deeds and stood alongside him did not doubt his words in the slightest.

If he said that they would take another leap forward, then it would surely be so.

Even at that moment, Jin Geum-ho’s speech continued.

Pointing at the hall with his finger, he said,

“This place will become the center of the project. It is here that a new history will be made. A control tower for a new era will be built here. Starting today. I guarantee that the moment the construction of the control tower is completed, we will experience a new era.”

Jin Geum-ho never raised his voice. Yet his voice pierced clearly into people’s ears and made their hearts pound.

Everyone listened to Jin Geum-ho’s voice as if entranced—even the rulers seated behind him.

“Earth originally belonged to mankind. But now the masters of Earth are not humans, but monsters. All lands except Neo Seoul are threatened by monsters. The moment you step even a little outside Neo Seoul, countless monsters threaten your life. That is our reality, and that is the present state of Earth we live on. How long will we live like this? How long will we fear monsters, lock ourselves behind high walls, and make ourselves prisoners? We are not such insignificant beings.”

“Wooooah!”

At Jin Geum-ho’s passionate speech, everyone shouted cheers as if bewitched. Even the rulers of each district were fidgeting slightly in their seats.

“I will return Earth to mankind. I will free us from the threat of monsters and allow humanity to live fully as the masters of Earth. The moment this control tower is completed, we will at least be able to recover all the land of the former Republic of Korea. And little by little we will expand humanity’s territory, and in the end reclaim the entire Earth from the monsters. This is a holy war for mankind.”

“For mankind!”

“Earth belongs to mankind!”

“Wooooah!”

Those gathered in the hall chanted Jin Geum-ho’s name.

With a relaxed smile on his lips, Jin Geum-ho watched the people cheering.

That sight made them even more frenzied.

When the cheers reached their peak, Jin Geum-ho opened his mouth again.

“You must all be curious. Curious about what this place is a control tower for. Now I will tell you. It is…”

Thud!

At that moment, a faint detonation burst from far away.

“How dare you!”

The first to sense the detonation was Grain, who stood by Jin Geum-ho’s side.

Grain spread out a gravitational field to protect Jin Geum-ho.

Immediately after, something struck the gravitational field and exploded.

Kwaaang!

Intense flames and shockwaves shook the stage.

“An ambush.”

“Who is it?”

The rulers of each district on the stage also deployed their skills to protect themselves.

“Which bastard….”

The old man near Zeon raised his head and looked toward where the detonation had come from.

It was the rooftop of a thirty-story building.

Without the slightest hesitation, the old man launched his body toward the rooftop.

He was not the only one who moved.

From various places, the Numbers revealed themselves and charged toward the building from which the sniper attack had been made.

Thud!

At that moment, another flash of light burst from the rooftop.

Kwaaang!

Grain’s gravitational field blocked the bullet once again.

‘A special bullet embedded with a powerful explosive.’

The explosion was so strong that the gravitational waves created at maximum output visibly rippled.

Seo Taeran stepped forward in front of Jin Geum-ho and said,

“Please hide behind me.”

“No. I will not hide.”

Shaking his head, Jin Geum-ho looked toward the building from which the bullet had come.

“It is dangerous.”

“It is something I must experience at least once, Taeran.”

“Yes? What do you mean by….”

“Entrust my fate to Zeon.”

It was the moment Jin Geum-ho smiled at Seo Taeran.

Thud!

Suddenly, blood spurted from Jin Geum-ho’s chest.

He had been hit by a bullet.

“This—!”

Grain’s face twisted.

The two explosions had created cracks in his gravitational field. Seizing that gap, a specially manufactured bullet bored through and pierced Jin Geum-ho’s chest.

It was clearly a high-grade awakened with abilities specialized for sniping.

“Mayor!”

Seo Taeran screamed as she embraced the collapsing Jin Geum-ho.

The hall had already become chaos.

The rulers of each district deployed defensive skills and issued orders to their subordinates.

“Find the sniper at once.”

The awakeneds of each district all ran toward the place from which the sniper had fired.

Then Seo Taeran shouted,

“Zeon!”

Her voice pierced through the chaos and drilled into Zeon’s eardrums.

Zeon, who had been watching everything, immediately launched his body onto the stage.

When Zeon arrived on the stage, the horrific sight of Jin Geum-ho came into his view.

There was a large hole gaping in Jin Geum-ho’s chest.

Healers from City Hall were mobilized and tried to seal the wound, but it was useless. With their skill, the best they could do was keep Jin Geum-ho from breathing his last.

The area that had been pierced happened to be right next to the heart.

The heart, too, could not help but have suffered severe damage.

Seo Taeran said to Zeon,

“Please save the Mayor.”

“How could I?”

“The Mayor said so. He said to entrust it to you. So please save him.”

“The Mayor said such a thing?”

“Yes. If there is any way to save the Mayor, do not hesitate. The moment the Mayor’s breathing stops, Neo Seoul will become hell.”

Seo Taeran’s gaze was directed toward the four rulers behind.

The moment Jin Geum-ho’s breath truly stopped, those four would wage war to take Neo Seoul. From that moment, hell would unfold over Neo Seoul.

Perhaps, as if everything had been a mirage, the skyscrapers of Neo Seoul might collapse.

For the stability of Neo Seoul as well, Jin Geum-ho had to live.

“Hoo!”

Zeon let out a sigh.

Jin Geum-ho, who had collapsed after being shot, was smiling.

Perhaps he had foreseen that this would happen the moment he stood on the stage.

‘With the Heavenly Eye he possesses, there is no way he did not see his own fate. Even so, to stake his life like this.’

Even Zeon was left in awe of Jin Geum-ho’s boldness.

At that moment, Seo Taeran’s tearing voice was heard.

“Please hurry and save the Mayor.”

Her voice broke Zeon out of his thoughts.

Zeon took out a healing potion from subspace.

It was a special healing potion that Brielle had made especially for him.

Kwa-kwa-kwa!

Zeon poured the entire healing potion over Jin Geum-ho’s wound. Even so, the wound did not improve at all. However, it was possible to prevent it from worsening any further.

“Now let’s go.”

No sooner had Zeon finished speaking than Grain adjusted gravity and lifted Jin Geum-ho’s body.

“Lead the way.”

“Quickly.”

Zeon immediately came down from the stage and began to sprint along the road.

Grain and Seo Taeran followed behind him.

“Damn it! We need to know the Mayor’s condition. Track him at once.”

“Make sure to determine whether the Mayor is alive or dead.”

Xiao Lun and Seden Price had their subordinates follow Zeon.

In contrast, Kim Hyun-soo’s face was stiff.

It was because he had heard the sound of the bullet that had sniped Jin Geum-ho somewhere before.

Serian muttered while looking at Zeon’s rapidly receding back.

‘Please let the Mayor live.’

The fate of Neo Seoul rested upon Zeon’s two shoulders.